


Help Me Heal

by Pledgling



Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Cute, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Hospital, M/M, Ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2013-08-07
Packaged: 2017-12-22 17:37:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pledgling/pseuds/Pledgling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester got into a car accident and finds himself hospitalized with a few broken bones and bruises to boot. But, sharing the same hospital room is a man Dean never thought he'd meet: a man who was able to help him forget about Bobby, his family, and all his friends that have died tragically. Dean soon finds himself craving Cas's presence to help him forget his past and focus more on the future--but what will happen when it becomes Cas's time to leave the hospital and Dean is forced to stay? This is from an idea someone made on tumblr and they were begging for a fanfiction. I hope I did their imaginary story justice. Rated T for teen for a bit of language.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Help Me Heal

            Dean Winchester had been in an awful car accident. And because of that, he had to be hospitalized and forced into a drug-induced coma. It was the only way to slow his heart rate down enough to allow him a better chance to live.

            Now all they had to do was wait.

\-----------------------------

            “Honestly, Gabriel. Please stop sending male prostitutes to my hospital room.”

            There was a voice. It was deep, and warm. Dean had no idea where he was or how he got there. At the moment, he didn’t even know his name. All he knew was that he was alive. His eyes opened slowly as he sucked in a loud breath.

            “I’m not physically healthy enough to have sex!” the voice persisted after a short pause.

            Dean was unable to see for the first couple of minutes, thanks to the light right above his face, but then he was able to discern small things. Like the bulb holding the light emanating from it. The rim around the light fixture. The black dots on the ceiling tile. His breathing quickly became normal and he groaned as he tried to turn his head, but he was only met with pain.

            “Not to mention, it’s unsanitary for them to be here,” the voice added quickly. “Look, the guy next to me just woke up and I’ll call you back. But _please_ stop this nonsense!”

            Dean could hear the clack of plastic as the phone was put on the ringer. He wanted to glance over and see who this person was, but he couldn’t move an inch. He wished he wasn’t awake. He hurt too much here. In his dreams, he was warm and he was comfortable, even amidst the nightmares that crawled around him.

            “Er—hello!” the voice said to him.

            Dean merely grunted.

            “You were in a coma, um. Dean.” How did this voice know his name? “I’m Castiel, your roommate. We’re in the hospital. I’ll call the doctors.”

            Dean ignored him and tried to focus on moving _something_. He could faintly hear the soft beep as the voice, named Castiel, pushed the button, probably for the doctor. Dean couldn’t remember anything after that because he once again slipped into unconsciousness.

\-----------------------------

            “Look, this is all a misunderstanding. I know my brother called you to give me some pain relief, but I’m fine, honestly.”

            There was some rustling. Dean recognized that voice and gently his brain came up with the name _Castiel_.

            He took in a ragged breath, though he didn’t hurt nearly as much this time as he did the last he woke up. He faintly remembered Castiel telling him he was in a hospital…

            “But I’m still getting paid?” another deep voice asked.

            “Yes, yes, but that’s all Gabriel! Now get up, my roommate is waking up!” There was yet more shuffling before a door opened and closed.

            Dean, instead of lying down, was sitting up in his bed. The doctors must have inclined it while he was sleeping. He was actually able to turn his head slightly and out of the corner of his eye he was able to see this Castiel. He could only make out the dark brown, almost black hair of the male, who was also beat up.

            “Hey, how do you feel?” Castiel asked.

            “Hmph… Shit,” Dean mustered out in a slur.

            “Well, at least you’re awake! Your brother’s coming, soon. He’s been worried sick about you.”

            “Sammy…?”

            “I guess. He never exactly introduced himself. If you don’t remember, my name is—”

            “Castiel…”

            “Yeah, okay. You’ve got it…” Silence fell in the room.

            “How long…?”

            “Long what? You’ve been out?”

            Dean could hardly muster a nod.

            “You were out for a couple of days. After you woke up, you fell back asleep for a couple of hours.”

            Dean let out a grunt and moved his fingers, though everything felt fuzzy. He had to be drugged. Even his mouth felt numb. He glanced around the room, as much as his head would let him see.

            “What…?”

            “Happened?”

            There was another nod from Dean.

            “Car accident, from what I’ve gathered from the doctors and your brother muttering under his breath. You wrecked your, um… ‘ _baby_ ’, which I’m assuming is your car. And you were beat up pretty badly. Cracked ribs, punctured skull, broken leg, and a broken collarbone.”

            “Damn…”

            Cas laughed a little. Dean paused at the sound and the newfound nickname his mind gave the man. He decided to ignore it, though it sounded suspiciously like his baby’s license plate… Kaz. He pushed that out of his mind. “Damn is right. Oh, look, there’s your brother.”

            In walked Sammy, just in as pristine condition as ever. Dean felt relieved. His brother wasn’t in the car accident. He was okay. He looked at Sam happily.

            “Dean…” he said quickly, smiling at his beat up brother.

            “’Tis okay, Sammy…” he slurred, moving a hand slowly to cover Sam’s. “I’m okay… Just beat up…”

            Sam let out a snort and shook his head. Dean wanted to ruffle his hair to make him feel better like always, but he couldn’t move his arm that high. He winced and let it fall back down on Sam’s hand. His brother noticed it and grimaced.

            “How’s my baby…?”

            “She’s real tore up, Dean. I’m trying to get it fixed, but… it’s not looking too good…”

            Dean sighed and winced again at the pain. He looked away from Sam. He loved his car so damn much… He couldn’t stand it if his baby wasn’t functional anymore. She was every bit as a long-time girlfriend to him.

            “I’m sorry…”

            “’Tis okay, Sammy…” he repeated, attempting to smile. “She always perseveres…”

            Sam nodded, biting the inside of his cheek.

            Castiel had remained silent throughout the entire encounter. Sam and Dean spent a couple more minutes talking, where Sam explained exactly what happened. Dean was having one of his bad days, thinking about Bobby probably. And he drank and drank before he told Sammy he was going out. Sam, having seen Dean drive fine drunk, let him go. Next thing he knew, there was a call from the hospital saying that his brother had ran into a tree over forty miles per hour and it was a miracle that he was still alive. That an angel was watching over him (to which Dean snorted skeptically).

            Soon Sammy left because he had to go run some errands and Dean was bombarded by Doctors. They told him to drink this, let them put more morphine in, asked him question upon question until finally they left. And once they did, he relaxed in his bed, letting his eyes fall close. The small television came on and it was Dean’s favorite show, _Supernatural_.

            The show was about two brothers that were hunters and Dean loved it because it was about _his_ family. His ancestry. Sometimes he wished he could be this demon hunter, even though they never existed. Honestly, that would be fucking cool. He sighed through his nose and let his head rest on the edge of the bed.

            “Do you know about this show?” Castiel asked softly.

            “It’s about my family,” Dean said quietly. “Though we aren’t really hunters. It’s a myth tied to my family’s name…” Dean felt considerably better without the morphine, even though he continued to slur.

            “That’s really cool,” Cas commented. “The angel in here, he’s got the same name as me.”

            “He does?” Dean mused. “It’s an unusual name, I have to say.”

            “Named after an angel,” Cas said softly.

            Silence fell between the both of them and if Cas said anything else, Dean didn’t hear it. He soon was out and back to sleeping.

\-----------------------------

            He woke up to food being handed to him in a tray. And within seconds, Dean was awake. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in ages. The morphine had made him lose his appetite, so they forced him to drink these awful shakes that he just threw out behind their backs. It was his third day of being awake and he was already sick and tired of being confined to a bed and seeing the same room every day. He grabbed the spoon, his motor controls quickly coming back. He just couldn’t move his left arm because of the collarbone and the fact that it was in a sling. Good thing, too. He instantly took out the pudding and ripped off the plastic cover with his teeth and spat it on the tray. He hastily ate the chocolate pudding, his eyes closing in bliss.

            “The food here is total shit,” a voice suddenly chimed in.

            Taken out of his chocolate pudding-induced haze, he glanced over at his roommate, Castiel.

            “Except for the pudding and the occasional soda. That is all I enjoy.”  

            “Too bad they don’t have pie…”

            A chortle came from Cas. “Oh, they do. But it’s the kind only served to those who visit the hospital and buy it.” Dean made a face of disgust at that. He couldn’t get pie unless he was some person walking around?

            He fumbled for his phone and he instantly called Sammy.

            He needed that God damned pie.

\-----------------------------

            Dean was completely and totally bored out of his mind. He was just lying in the hospital bed with absolutely nothing to do. The past few days Castiel and him were just talking and joking around, watching TV and sharing stories. Dean was quite reluctant at first, but those eyes that Cas wielded kind of made him feel like Cas already knew everything there was to know about Dean. Like they pierced his soul and knew every little sin he committed, every good deed…

            But now Cas was out for a walk as part of his physical therapy. He had found a liquor store and “drank it” (as he described) to the point where he, too, had a car accident. Luckily the two of them didn’t involve any other citizens. He had broken his back, but luckily he was perfectly okay in the sense that he wasn’t paralyzed. But just to make sure he had everything working, Cas had to endure physical therapy, which was what Dean would have to do once he was better (though he seriously doubted he’d stick around long enough to endure that).

            So while Cas was out and actually seeing more than just four walls, one ceiling, and one floor, Dean was stuck seeing exactly just that. He angrily ran a hand through his hair and looking up at the ceiling as if it were the cause of all his problems.

            Yeah, okay, maybe he felt pretty alone after Cas left… Mainly because Castiel was always a presence near him that made Dean _comfortable_. He didn’t feel weird around Cas and actually smiled, something Dean hasn’t done in quite some time… At least, not since Bobby died…

            He bit the inside of his cheek, going somewhat stir crazy. No, he couldn’t think about Bobby, this wasn’t the time. Besides, he was pretty confident Sam would come and he wouldn’t be so lonely anymore, but the time passed. First it was five minutes, then ten. Next it was an hour. And in the next hour and a half, Cas was being escorted back into his hospital room.

            Dean immediately perked up at the sight of him and gave a half-smile.

            “Oh, you’re awake. Hi, Dean,” he said as he crawled back into his bed slowly. “How’s it going?”

            “Better now.” Dean paused and quickly caught himself at the look Cas gave him. “Sammy’s coming over with pie.” He offered a somewhat sheepish smile and glanced away from the dark-haired male. He let out a slow breath and chewed on his cheek.

            “Well, Supernatural’s on tonight if you’d like to watch.”

            “Oh, yeah, sure. That’d be cool,” Dean said slowly, scratching the back of his head with his right arm. “That’d be cool…”

\-----------------------------

            As the week progressed, Castiel had been excelling in his physical therapy and he was excelling extraordinarily. Dean, however, was still confined to the same damn bed with the same damn four walls, the same damn ceiling, and the same damn floor. He saw less and less of Cas, but the times that Cas _was_ there, Dean was able to forget.

            Forget his parents, his friends, the women he had loved, even Bobby. He was actually happy… Smiling, making jokes… He could actually go on with his life without worrying every living minute on who would die next. That he actually felt _alive_ for the first time in a long time. He wasn’t fighting for his life anymore, he was just kind of floating in an ocean, letting the waves lap on his shoulders and the sun to warm up his flesh. It just felt… _good_.

            He leaned his head back on the hospital bed and tried not to think about anything, just let his mind clear like it could when Cas was near. There was no fog or confusion. It was as clear as undisturbed water when that man was around.

            He let his eyes close and he thought he had drifted off to sleep when the door opened. He wasn’t sure how long it had been since he shut his eyes, but he was actually happy knowing Castiel was finally back.

            But it wasn’t a dark-haired, blue-eyed man. No, it was his brother, Sammy… And he should have gotten excited about seeing him, especially at the pie he was bestowing upon Dean, but he still felt sad. That it wasn’t Cas holding the pie.

            He took it from his brother with a small smile. “Thanks…”

            “You look cheerful today,” Sam offered.

            “I do? As cheerful as a Santa elf?”

            “Even more,” Sam deadpanned with a raised eyebrow. “What’s up with you?”

            “Hm? Oh, nothing, just… thinking.”

            “I brought you pie of all things. You should be crying with joy. You haven’t had pie in almost a week… That must be a record for you.”

            Dean pointed the fork he held at Sam. “I am crying for joy, but internally. Besides, I’m thinking… About Bobby.” Dean lied. He didn’t usually lie to Sam, but when he did it was because he was protecting something or someone.

            And Dean was protecting himself. He couldn’t explain why he felt he way he did around Castiel… He was just a man across him in another bed from a similar accident that had happened a while before. There was no reason for Dean to enjoy their time as much as he did.

            He very slowly ate the pie, savoring every little bite, but as he was about to finish the last piece, Cas came into the room.

            And Dean forgot that Sam was there. Upon his arrival, Dean’s face immediately perked up and a smile brightened his face. The one that made the corner of his eyes crinkle and his hazel eyes to light up a brilliant green. “Hey, Cas, would you like the last bite of pie?”

            Sam stared with his mouth wide open. No one ever got to eat the last bite of Dean’s pie. He looked over at this Castiel and wondered exactly who this guy was.

            “Right, well, I have to head off. I’ve got to um… Go… Grocery shopping…?” Dean didn’t care what Sam said, just waving him off as Cas shrugged and walked over to grab the last bite.

            With a smile, he popped it into his mouth. “That is good. Is it apple?”

            “Yeah, my favorite.” He didn’t even notice Sam leave.

            “Really? Personally, I like chocolate. There’s just something about chocolate that feels so good, it has to be sinful.”

            Dean smiled. “I know what you mean. Sammy always tries to get me to eat something healthy, but I told him that unless it’s covered in either chocolate, baked in pie, or both, I won’t eat it. It has to be at least a little bad.”

            Cas laughed a little, sitting on his bed before falling silent. “Dean.”

            His voice was serious. Dean sat up a little more, frowning immediately.

            “Dean, I have to leave in two days. The doctors say I’m fine, I can go home.”

            “You don’t sound excited about it,” Dean commented quietly.

            “I like it here… It’s secure. Not a lot to get confused about… I get confused in the outside world… So many things are happening and spinning out of control and I can’t understand it all the way I should…”

            Dean fell silent, watching Cas look down at his hands.

            “And when I’m with you, Dean…”

            But he cut himself off. Dean wanted him to continue, but also didn’t. He just nodded and they both fell into an awkward silence.

            Somehow Dean felt like the laugh earlier would be the last laugh he heard from Castiel…

\-----------------------------

            After Cas left the hospital, Dean was miserable. He couldn’t function properly because all he could think about was his family. It was like a tidal wave that just hit him and he was sent reeling because of it. Cas was his barrier, his barricade, for a lack of better words. Dean _needed_ Cas.

            He stared blankly into the television, having been confined to a damn bed for weeks. He would have left a really long time ago if it weren’t for Sam. He needed to fix his baby, get back to work. Maybe find Cas again… But Sammy was adamant that he stay here until the doctors cleared him.

            “For once,” Sammy had said, “do what the doctors tell you to do so you can get better quicker!”

            “I don’t feel like I’m getting better quicker,” Dean had huffed.

            So now Dean was just starting at the episode of Supernatural, frowning incredibly deeply and wanting to know if he’d ever see that dark-haired, blue-eyed man again… Dean deeply hoped so. He ran a hand through his hair and looked over at the bed Cas stayed in.

            All he felt was alone. Not because no one was there, but on the inside. He was alone on the inside… To the point where not even Sammy could cure him. He just had this void in his chest thanks to Bobby’s death and there was nothing that could solve it.

            Except for that damn man.

            Who was he? And how could he do this for Dean?

            For years Dean searched for this feeling in many, many girls. But he never became serious with them; it was just one-night stands…

            With a sigh, Dean shook his head and glanced down at his phone. He could wait to get out of this damn hellhole.

\-----------------------------

            It had been another week. Dean was finally able to get out of the hospital bed and out of the room. He had told himself that he would be buried with that bed—that the bed would be his God damned coffin. He was glad to be proved wrong.

            Physical therapy commenced and Dean wasn’t all too happy about it. He felt like he should be fine with his motor controls, but the doctors just wanted to be sure. At any rate, Dean was forced to be wheeled around this way and that because of his broken collarbone. It hindered him from using crutches thanks to his broken leg.

            And then it came. The final decision to allow Dean to leave the hospital. To him, he was already planning on eating a whole pie _in_ the actual store. He was going to sit in his baby, maybe take a nap. And sleep on the motel bed because that was a thousand times more comfortable and familiar than the hospital bed.

            Sammy was wheeling him out in a wheelchair that they were forced to purchase (though Dean was just going to throw it out afterwards) and outside. The sun was pretty blinding, but otherwise he was fine. He let out a long breath, a goofy smile on his face.

            “Dude, you look high,” Sam said.

            “I feel high. I feel _good_.”

            “Well, I have a surprise for you… Well… _two_ , anyway. Look.”

            They had stopped. Dean opened the eyes he didn’t know he closed and looked over to his baby.

            It was perfectly refurbished. She shined as if she just came out of the factory she was created in. “Oh…” Dean whispered, leaning forward to run his fingers over the paint.

            But what he didn’t notice was the person inside of it. He glanced up as the car door opened, eyebrows raising and then he saw him. Castiel in the flesh and blood.

            Dean’s mouth fell open and he didn’t know what to say. He glanced back at Sam, eyes wide, and Sam just grinned down at him.

            “I saw how much you liked him, Dean… I mean, you don’t give anyone the last piece of your pie, _especially_ when it’s apple… So I tracked him down.”

            “I was more than eager to come…” Cas offered. He walked over to him with a grin and Dean…. Dean was beyond words at this point.

            He didn’t know what to say or to do because all he could feel was elation. Without his knowing, tears had rolled down his eyes because everything was perfect. His baby was back… and so was his Cas. He could forget again and be _happy_.

            Cas kneeled in front of Dean, the smile on his face causing the wrinkles in his eyes to crease. Dean just wanted to run his fingers over them, but instead Cas put his hand on Dean’s arm.

            Dean’s lips parted and for once in his life, his face actually turned red. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and Cas’s hand was touching his flesh. And where he touched Dean, he could feel the skin sizzle… But in a good way. Like that handprint was going to be there forever for everyone to see. That Cas, in some way, was gripping him tight and raising him from his hell—from his _perdition_.

            And Dean couldn’t be happier.


End file.
